Shoe heel



I 1,439,405 H. -S. .CROSSMAN.

SHOE HEEL. FILED JAN; I9. 192i.

Dec. 19, 1922.

Fig. 1.

Hurr 5-Crossmun Ays.

Patented Dec. i9, l$22 ilillwl y HARRY S. CROSSMAN, F DORCHESTER,YIASSACHUSETTS.

`sinon HEEL.

Application filed January 19, 1921. `Serial No. 438,370,

To e-ZZ whom I? may concern:

Be it known that l, HARRY S. Cnossiunn7 a citizen ot the United States,and resident of Dorchester', county of Suffolky State ot Massachusetts,have invented an improvement in Shoe Heels, oi' which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, like characters on the drawing representing like 10parts.

This invention lrelates to improvements in heels for shoes and theobject thereot is to provide a heelhaving an outer shell, preferably ofmetal such as aluminum, or other suitable material, having a heel littand provided with novel means for fastening the lift to the heel, andalso of a construction which will enable the heel to be more easily andmore lirmly secured to the shoe.

I am aware that hollow metallic heels tor shoes have heretofore beenconstructed, but various difficulties have been encountered in properlysecuring the lift to the heel and in so constructing the heel that itcan be properly applied to the shoe. The present invention contemplatesthe provision of a novel form of heel in which such defects are obviatedand the production of a heel which can be readily repaired or replacedby an ordinary cobbler.

A further object or' the invention is to provide a heel comprising ahollow shell provided with a suitable filler or illers, preterably oit'composition, so constructed that when the original lift is worn out ordaniaged it may be replaced by other forms or" resilient or leatherlifts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel comprising ahollow shell 40 having a iiller in thecavity thereoh provided with ananchoring plate, embedded in the upper portion of said iller, adapted tobe engaged by nails or other tastenings driven through the sole of theshoe into the filler.

A further obj ect of tl e invention is to provide a novel lift for shoeswhich may be readily replaced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel liftoit-'resilient material having a surface plate firmly anchored to thebody of the lift in which the periphery of theplate terminates at adistance from the periphery of the body portion of the heel, that thelift may be applied and fitted to different sizes of heels or' othertypes than those' having metallic shells.

Other objects and features of the inven` tion will more fully appearJfrom the following description and the annexed drawings and will bepointed out inthe accompanying claims.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of a heel and a portion of a shoe inthe plane oi" the longitudinal axis ot the shoe;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view ot the lower portion oi" adifferent heel construction, showing an improved form of lift embodyingmy invention applied thereto;

Fig, e is a detail vertical sectional view of the lower portion of awooden heel showing a lift embodying my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the surface plate for a resilient heel liftembodying invention, showing` in dotted lines one ot the forms oft heelsin which it may lbe einbodied; and,

Fig. 6 is an edge view of said surface plate. y

The present invention relates to improvements in heels for ladies shoes,particularly of the French 7 or Louis type, in which the surface of theupper portion of the heel is convergedly curved toward the central orneck portion and from said' neck portion diverges outwardly to the baseof the heel. Such heels have been heretoiore constructed of wood and ofmetallic shells, to the bottom iace of which suitable lii'ts have beensecured. Considerable diiiiculty has been found in the use of woodenheels for the reason that they frequently crack when being nailed to theshoe, or when the lifts are being secured to the lower faces oi suchheels. Where heels having metallic shells have been used diiiiculty hasbeen. found in properly securing the heels tb the shoe and also inproviding a form of litt which will not be.

eut by the lower face of the metallic shell which presents a relativelynarrow edge. The present invention contemplates the production of a heelin which such objections will be obviated.

ln the preferred embodimenty of the inn vention illustrated herein theheel comprises a metallic shell 1 havin(Y a cavity the upper portion ofwhich is provided with an outwardly diverging wall 2 extending upwardlyfrom the neck portion of the heel and the lower portion of which isprovided with an outwardly div/erging wall extending downwardly from theneck portion of the heel.

Filler members Ll and 5, preferably of a relatively light and tenacious,non-resilient, composition, arer provided to fit the yupper and lowerportions of said cavity. Such material may be of a relatively low gradeof vulcanized rubber composition.

The upper liller 4 desirably is provided with a clincher plate (i whichis embedded in it a short distance below the upper surface thereof andis adapted to be engaged by the ends of nails 7, or other fasteners,which are driven through the sole 8 of the shoe to se cure the heel toit. The upper filler fl also desirably is provided with an anchoringplate 9, preferably in the form of anut, adapted to receive a screwthreaded end of a machine screw 10 passing upwardly through the 'lowerlfiller into the upper filler. The lower filler 5 also desirably isprovided with an anchoring member 11, such as a washer of the typecommonly used in the construction of rubber heels and the like, whichforn'is r abutment for the head 12 of the cla screw 10 which secures theupper and `er fillers together and serves to clamp said upper and lowerfillers firmly in place in the shell.

The head 1Q of the clamping screw 1() desirably isprovided with an axialaperture 13 having screw threaded walls adapted to be engaged by amachine screw 14 for securing the lift to the heel. rlhe clamping screw10 may be of suiiicient diameter to enable the screw threaded apertureto extend through the head into the shank of the screw. Preferably,however, the head of the scr-ew is made of suiiicient length to providea suit able seat for the screw which holds the lift upon the heel.

The anchoring member or washer 11 may be constructed of any suitablesize and may act as a clincher plate to engage the ends of nails driventhrough a leather or other usual type of lift. Preferably, however, theheel is provided with a novel form of lift which may be easily attachedand replaced and which will be prevented from lateral or pivotalmovement when in use.

preferred form of lift which is illustrated herein comprises a bodyportionv15, which may be of rubber or other resilient material, having afiat surface plate 16 seA cured thereto. The bottom of the heel and saidplate and lift desirably are provided with interengaging means whichwill prevent lateral or pivotal movement of the lift relatively to theheel. ln the construction illustrated herein the plate 1G is providedwitha ilat upper surface which conforms in size to the lower face 17 ofthe heel. The peripheral portion of the plate is slitted and alternateportions 18, intermediate of said slits, are bent downwardly to embedvzf'ithin thel boly of the lift. T he plate is also provided with arelatively large central opening'l) into which the material of the body15 extends. The sur face plate is also providedwith two or more upwardlyextending prongs 20 which desirably are located in the central portionof the lift at equal distances from the center thereof and adapted to bedriven into the filler of theheel, or to be seated in suitable socketsin the' metallic shell of the heel when the latter is constructed for `ysuch purpose'. The heel lift is also provided with an anchoring orre-enforc'ing member, preferably in the form of a washer 21, embedded invsaid lift at' a distant-e below thek surface' plate" 16. The area ofsaid washer desirably does not exceed the of the aperture 19. The'headof the screw 1li-seats against the washer 21 and clamps the lift lirmlyupon the heel. By reason of the fact that theanchoring member or washa-21 is of no greater area than the aperture k19 through'the surface platel of the lift, the lift willnot be distorted'when it is clamped upon theheel, as would be the caseif the area of thewasher exceeded the area ofthe aperture in said plate, since in the latter instance thecon'ipression ofthe center of the body portion would "tend to cause theperiphery to curve downwardly and separate its edges from the plate.

In the formation of the lift the surface plateis placed in the mouldingand the' resilient materialk cast upon ity under pressure so that thedownwardly bent portions 1S of the plate are lirmly embedded in the bodyportion of the lift. The material ofthe body portion also. fillsthe/centralportion 19 Hush with the upper surface of said plate exceptfor a central hole throughwhich a stud in the mould extends' to supportthe plate 16 and which provides a hole to receive' the screw 14.

lf desirablethe'mould may be used of larger size than tlie plate therebyproviding a heel, the body portion of which is larger than the plateand'wliich can be trimmed to enable the lift to beused on'differentsizes of heels,-such as wooden heels to which it may be secured by, ascrew or 'other suitable fastening.

A heel lift of this character is illustrated in Fig, alas applied toawooden or leather heel 22. In Fig. 3 the lift is illustrated as appliedto a different form of heel of a well known commercial type in which thelower portion of the metallic shell 23 is provided with a transverse web24 having a threaded y aperture therein to receive the screw threadedportion of a screw 25. The portion of the heel below the web 2e isprovided with a filler 26 into which the prongs 2O of the surface plateare driven. lllhus it will be seen that the heel lift is adapted notonly for use in connection with the special type of heel illustrated inFigs. l and 2, but also upon other types of heels.

lt will, of course, bek understood that where the lifts embodying myinvention are applied to heels having metallic shells, the surface plateshould be of such area as to engage, and preferably lit, the under faceof the heel, so that the metallic portion of the heel will rest directlyupon the metallic plate and will thereby be prevented from cutting therubber or other composition of which the resilient body of the heel iscomposed.

lt will be understood that the embodiment ofthe invention disclosedherein is illustrative and not restrictive and that variousmodifications in form, construction and arrangement of parts may be madewithin the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A heel for shoes comprising ay hollow shell having the form of aheel, a filler within the cavity of said heel having an anchoring memberembeddedtherein, a heel lift and means for securing the same to saidanchoring member.

2. A heel for shoes comprising a hollow metallic shell having the formofa heel, a iller within the cavity of said heel having an anchoringmember embedded therein, a heel lift, means for securing the same tosaid anchoring member and a clincher plate embedded in said filleradapted to bend the c ends of fasteners driven through the sole of theshoe into said filler.

A heel for shoes comprising a hollow shell having thel form of a heel, acomposition filler therein, a clincher plate embedded in said filleradapted to be engaged by the ends of fasteners driven through the soleof the shoe into said filler.

4i. A heel for shoes comprising a hollow shell having the form of aheel, provided with a cavity, the upper and lower portions of which have,outwardly diverging walls, illersfor the upper and lower portions ofsaid cavity, a screw having means engaging respectively the upper andlower fillers for securing them together, a heel. lift and means forsecuring the same to one of said llers.

5. A heel for shoes comprising` a hollow shell having the form of aheel, provided Yith a cavity, the upper and lower portions of which haveoutwardly diverging walls, fillers for the upper and lower portions ofsaid cavity, anchoring means embedded in said upper filler, means forsecuring the lower filler to said anchoring means, a heel lift and meansfor securing said lift to said anchoring means.

6. A heel for shoes comprising a hollow shell having the form of akheel, provided with a cavity, the upper and lower por tions of whichhave outwardly diverging walls. composition fillers fitting the upperand lower portions of said cavity, an anchoring. member embedded in saidupper filler, an anchoring plate embedded in said lower filler, aclamping screw connecting the anchoring members of said upper and lowerfillers, a heel lift and a screw securing said lift to said clampingscrew.

7. A heel for shoes comprising a hollow metallic shell having the formof a heel, provided with a cavity, the upper and lower portions of whichhave outwardly diverging walls, composition fillers fitting the upperand lower portions of said cavity, an anchoring member embedded in saidupper filler, an anchoringv plate embedded in -said lower iller, aclamping screw connecting the anchoring members of said upper and lowerfillers, a heel lift having a surface plate engaging the under face ofsaid shell and a screw securing said lift to 100 said clamping screw.

8. A heel for shoes comprising a hollow metallic shell having the formof a heel, provided with ka cavity, the upper an-d lower portions ofwhich have outwardly di- 105 verging walls, composition fillers fittingthe upper and lower portions of said cavity, an anchoring memberembedded in said upper filler, an anchoring plate embedded in said lowerfiller, a clamping screw connect- 110 in'g the anchoring members of saidupper and lower llers, a heel lift having a surface plate engaging. theunder face of said shell, interengaging means upon said shell andsurface plate for preventing relative 115 lateral movement therebetweenand a screw securing said lift to said clamping screw.

9. A lift for heels comprising a body of resilient composition having anupper surface plate provided with pointed prongs 120 projecting upwardlyfrom its central portion, adapted to engage the heel, a central apertureto receive a fastening member and a separate anchoring member, embeddedin said body at a distance below said plate 125 and in alinement withthe aperture therein, also having an aperture to receive a fasteningmember.

10. A lift for heels comprising a body of resilient composition havingan upper sur- 130 face plate plovded with pointed prongs projectingupwardly from its Central p01"-A tlonyada'pted t0 engage the heel, acentral aperture to recelve a fastenmg" me'mbel` und n separate anchormgmembex' embeddedym seid bodyv al; a distance below said plate having imurea not o exceed the area of HARRY s; CROSSMAN.

